Control: The Miriam Collection

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All Rise...

Judge Gordon Sullivan once got together with a bunch of mates to form a band. They learned that Misery Division is not a good name for a rock band.

The Charge

The tragic tale of the singer of Joy Division.

Opening Statement

It's a rocky road from making music videos to directing a feature film. David
Fincher made the leap by joining an existing franchise (Alien 3), with
pretty disastrous results, while Spike Jonze took a Charlie Kaufman script and
made an indie darling (Being
John Malkovich). When it came time for Anton Corbijn (known for his music
videos like Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" and Nirvana's
"Heart-Shaped Box" as well as his "rock" photography) to
make a feature, he stuck to his roots and decided on a biopic of the lead singer
of Joy Division, Ian Curtis. The resulting film, Control, has it all,
from beautiful photography to a crack cast. However, after watching the film, I
don't feel like I know anything more about Curtis or the band.

Facts of the Case

Joy Division was one of the great shining lights of the post-punk movement
that sprang up in Manchester in the late 1970s around Factory Records (see 24 Hour Party People for a nice peek
at what Factory meant to music). The story goes that Ian Curtis (Sam Riley), an
epileptic with a young bride, was with a bunch of mates at a Sex Pistols show.
They were all so captivated they just had to form a band right there. After
kicking around for a bit they attracted the attention of Tony Wilson, local
media mogul and de facto leader of Factory Records. Their association with Tony
led to a record deal, two classic albums, and a host of tours. Behind the
scenes. things weren't going so well for Curtis. He was torn between his wife
(Samantha Morton, Minority
Report)—now the mother of his child—and new love Annika
(Alexandra Maria Lara, I Really Hate My
Job). To add insult to injury, his epilepsy seemed to be getting worse.
Between the grueling tours, his medical condition, and his situation at home,
Curtis apparently saw no other choice and hanged himself in May 1980, officially
ending Joy Division.

The Evidence

I know movies aren't real, and that goes doubly so for biopics (especially
musical ones, with their tendency to rely on myth). Condensing any part of
anyone's life into a feature-length film demands cutting, expanding, and
rearranging, especially if the goal is tension and drama. This cutting
automatically brings with it a point of view, a slant on the material, a thesis
if you will. When this slant is evident, it's easier to evaluate the film and
understand where it's coming from. Take, for instance, Sid and Nancy. For better or worse
Alex Cox and Gary Oldman portray Sid Vicious as an innocent, a babe lost in the
big, bad world. Knowing that thesis, it's easier to understand the rest of the
film, especially the way Johnny Rotten is portrayed, as the wolf to Sid's babe.
This point of view allows me to place the film in the context of the other
things I know about the Sex Pistols, and Britpunk in general, which allows me to
have a clearer picture of what might have been happening at the time.

Control has no such obvious point of view. Instead, we watch a group
of impeccable actors rehearse the lore surrounding Joy Division: that first Sex
Pistols show, Tony Wilson signing the contract in blood, the heat being cut in
the recording studio, all played out for us to watch. But there doesn't seem to
be a perspective, an explanation, or an attempt to make sense of Ian, Joy
Division, or the post-punk milieu. I watched but I didn't learn. Curtis &
Co. seem as opaque to me now as they did before I saw Control.

The best musical biopics also give us a sense of the living person behind
the legend. Gary Oldman (Sid and Nancy), Val Kilmer (The Doors), and even Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line) give the audience the
sense of a living, breathing person behind the mythic star. Control was
like watching the ghost of Ian Curtis parade around for two hours. Sam Riley
does a fine job evoking Curtis in look and voice, but the script gives him no
life to play with, no interiority. It's an interesting effect, but doesn't make
the film great.

Finally, fans should note that the film is based on the biography by Deborah
Curtis, who wasn't on the greatest of terms with Ian when he died.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Unsurprisingly, the film has visual style to spare, with a rich
black-and-white color scheme. For the most part, Corbijn keeps the camera from
being ostentatious, and the framing keeps the story moving. Overall, there's a
richness and a depth to the film that is impressive to watch, even if you don't
care about Joy Division or Ian Curtis at all.

Despite my misgivings about the film, the acting on display is pretty
fantastic. Samantha Morton manages to remain sympathetic despite her
"outsider" status. Likewise Alexandra Maria Lara stays sympathetic
despite the fact that she's "the other woman." Although I preferred
Steve Coogan's interpretation, Craig Parkinson does a fine job as Tony
Wilson.

Also, this is a pretty fantastic DVD package, part of the Weinsteins' Miriam
Collection. The 2.35:1 image looks amazing, with great depth and contrast, while
also lacking any obvious compression difficulties. The audio is well-balanced,
making dialogue and music easy to hear.

The extras, especially for an indie flick, are pretty extensive. First up,
we get a commentary with director Anton Corbijn. He spends much of the track
discussing his personal relationship to the material in between discussion of
the production and how it was achieved. We also get a standard making-of
featuring interviews with cast and crew that runs for 23 minutes. The other big
extra is a 13-minute conversation with Anton Corbijn, where he discusses his
relationship to Joy Division and the development of the film. There is some
overlap between the features, but the information is still interesting. Three
extended performances from the film are included, with the songs
"Transmission," "Leaders of Men," and "Candidate"
shown in their entirety. To compliment these extended performances, we get two
videos from Joy Division ("Transmission" and "Atmosphere")
and one from The Killers ("Shadowplay"). Rounding out the disc are a
still gallery and theatrical trailers.

Closing Statement

Despite my criticism, Control is not a bad movie. For those new to the
Joy Division story it will bring you up to speed on the short life and tragic
death of singer Ian Curtis. For those who are already familiar with the band,
this film won't tell you anything new, but you might enjoy watching an Ian
lookalike for a few hours. In either case, Control is worth watching, and
this excellent Miriam Collection DVD is easy to recommend.

The Verdict

Despite its shortcomings, Control is not guilty because it will
hopefully introduce a new generation to the unknown pleasures of Joy
Division.